how do you separate the boys from the men?

you go shooting at an open range for 2 hours when it's snowing and freezing!

just got back from the range, it was snowing and freezing, so my dad and I were the only guys on the open range.

I still managed to shoot tight groups with my CZ 122 .22LR at 25 meters, no rest as usual, about 2" groups if you count 8 from the 10 shots. pretty impresive in these weather conditions if you ask me!

also shot a big piece of ice into little pieces with my Glock 17, that was kinda fun. but the best thing was when I shot with the .357 magnum (6" barrel) at a big metal piece of a trench tool. the .357 blew it about 1 meter away and the metal plate was not only pierced, but the frame was also totally cracked :what:

kids, don't try this at home :scrutiny:

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you go shooting at an open range for 2 hours when it's snowing and freezing! What do the men do? :D

Neal Bloom

January 5, 2003, 12:55 PM

Don't know about the rest of you but when it is snowing with hardly any wind a .357 sounds incredible.

yesterdaysyouth

January 5, 2003, 03:22 PM

yeah its fun to dig through the snow looking for brass....:p

4v50 Gary

January 5, 2003, 08:41 PM

Heck of a test and it makes me glad for this "sissy" climate we have here in CA. No Eskimo in my blood line.

BerettaNut92

January 5, 2003, 08:51 PM

IT was in the 80s or 90s today in Orange County. I spent the last two weeks wearing a ski jacket indoors. Japanese insulation sucks.

M67

January 5, 2003, 08:58 PM

Spent the day at the range myself. About four hours, I think. No snow unless you count a few feet already on the ground... had to shovel away a drift in front of the firing line in order to see the targets from prone (300 meter rifle range). Temperature wasn't too bad, minus 16/17 Celsius, about zeroish Fahrenheit. Just nippy enough to make it a good idea to keep the ear muffs under one's jacket when not in use. If someone from Florida or Arizona doesn't understand what I mean, try to put your ear muffs in the freezer for half an hour before putting them on. :)

Oh, and when hot brass land in the snow, it gets wet from melting snow and then when you pick it up that water freezes on contact whith cold air - and the cases stick to your fingers. Really practical.

Blackhawk: What do the men do? I don't know. Maybe they go shooting when it's actually cold? :D

sm

January 5, 2003, 09:00 PM

quote:
"What do the men do? :D
---
How do think we get new shooters...? :D

What do I know-- I 've shot in freezing temps, sleet ,ice , snow. Broke the mustache more than once just touching it...

Tamara

January 5, 2003, 09:06 PM

you go shooting at an open range for 2 hours when it's snowing and freezing!

Been in the South too long; my blood is way too thin for that, now.

Glock_PhD

January 5, 2003, 09:19 PM

Its been in the 50's here in FL and I don't like to go outside.

Kobun

January 5, 2003, 09:31 PM

Shooting while it is cold isn't realy a problem.
You just need some good gloves... I have a pair with Thinsulate insulation that has a slit in the trigger finger, and they convert into mittens (a good thing when it is below 20F).
...And a gun with a BIG trigger guard. (Pretty obvious that some guns are made in warm climates!) :rolleyes:
Right now its 10F outside here.
Has been -2F a few days ago.
On one of the ranges I use it was -18F. Good temp to do some cold weather testing of guns. ;)
The only problem is picking brass. It tends to be frozen to the snow crust and it has to be knocked loose. :( That is the worst part about shooting outside now. Shotshells are easy to pick up though, and all the nice colours on the shells makes them easy to see. :D
K.

Dienekes

January 5, 2003, 10:14 PM

To answer your question--go visit Bastogne.

Kahr carrier

January 6, 2003, 06:58 AM

:what:

seeker_two

January 6, 2003, 11:11 AM

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
you go shooting at an open range for 2 hours when it's snowing and freezing!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I learned at a young age when to come in out of the rain...

10-Ring

January 6, 2003, 11:15 AM

Cold in Southern California just means I have to turn off the A/C in the car! Looks like I break out my dress shorts & polo shirt for work today :cool:

FLM

January 6, 2003, 12:33 PM

This man goes to an indoor range. No cold, no rain and no wind. I'm averse to all three of those. :cool:

firestar

January 6, 2003, 01:28 PM

I shot at an indoor range once, man, that was nice! I shoot year round and right now it is blowing snow across my driveway. I want to shoot my new AK-47 but this is too much for me. I don't mind snow but the wind REALLY sucks to shoot in.

Trisha

January 6, 2003, 02:29 PM

(shaking head and muttering...)

Just as long as none of you pull out rulers....

:what:

Trisha

Mal H

January 6, 2003, 03:27 PM

Jeez! Don't bait 'em Trisha!

Alright, alright! Keep those danged rules in their holsters.

Don't forget this is a family board.

That goes for you too, Dienekes. ;)

T.Stahl

January 6, 2003, 03:30 PM

Actually, to have a something I can shoot during the winter and with gloves was one of my reasons for buying a rifle. ;)

RustyHammer

January 6, 2003, 05:09 PM

How do you seperate the boys from the men? :what:

In the Army, I hear they use a CROWBAR?!?!? :neener:

Go Navy!

Gewehr98

January 6, 2003, 09:34 PM

How do you separate the boys from the men? Starts somewhere around 10", I'd wager:

http://www.mauser98.com/wichitarightplonk.jpg

Cold is when the hair inside your nose crystallizes.

Cold is when you're out in the Wisconsin woods during deer season, sitting at your tree stand on your Seater Heater (tm), listening for the deer to break through the ice in the little stream nearby, when a flock of chickadees arrives and lands on the rifle barrel as it sits across your lap. And you're thinking, it's so darned cold, I can't feel my feet, and what stupid deer is going to be moving when the mercury is that close to zero degrees?

Then you hear the crunch of something moving through the woods, but more clumsily than any deer. It's your dad, and he's bringing you a fresh thermos of hot coffee.

I miss Wisconsin. :D

Jspy

January 7, 2003, 07:59 PM

You mean its not the price of the toys?:banghead:

wanderinwalker

January 7, 2003, 08:45 PM

Cold?? Umm... in the 20's here in New Hampshire lately, with just enough snow to make me glad I have a big bucket o' 9mm brass. Good gloves are a must, and plenty of magazines for the semi-autos to minimize time loading!

Mark

January 8, 2003, 02:25 AM

I've shot in the cold and snow before, but not today. -30F in Fairbanks. I guarantee there wasn't much ammo expended at the open range today. Put me in the list with the boys I guess.

agtman

January 8, 2003, 12:22 PM

"how do you separate the boys from the men?"

Well, I don't know how they do it in Belgium, but here in the good ol' U.S. of A., there's a clear line of demarcation when considering handgun calibers. ;)

The first time I qualified with an M-16 there was snow on the ground at Fort Polk and I was on a poncho in puddle growing by the minute from freezing rain. I can't brag, if it was up to me I would have stayed in the barracks and roasted marshmallows with the friendly drill sergeants. I once had a brigade commander who opined that soldiers fire better in crappy weather than in nice weather. His rational was that if the sun is shining and blue skies the mind wanders; when it's cold and nasty, you focus really fast on the bidness at hand. I don't necessarily agree but he had some beer math emperical data in his head.

Cliff

January 8, 2003, 04:53 PM

Me and a friend last Sunday afternoon. Range SOP's in full effect,pictures taken with a Sony Mavica with shutter delay.

As for shooting in the snow.. I love it. Problem is, though its January and I'm in Colorado its like 60 degrees here! There is no snow!

I recall a day in march when I went to meet a couple of TFLers in Colorado Springs for a day of shooting and fun. The rain turned to snow, then back to rain before we finished. It was cold, miserable, and a heck of a lot of fun.

Freedom in theSkies

January 10, 2003, 01:34 AM

"What do the men do?
As far as the men go, they usually have to do their annual famil at the 300 m range when it's -30C...The officers... they go in the summer...

:scrutiny:

ThePerfectOne

January 10, 2003, 04:00 AM

that's what I'm talking about Cliff, you're the MAN, man :evil:

agtman: if real man only shoot calibers starting from .40, than you assume that only sissies shoot 9mm para +p and hot .357 magnum :confused:

I have never shot a caliber over .357! I have shot .22LR, .38 S&W, .38 special, 9mm para +p, hot .357 magnum, 7.62 x 51 NATO, and a shotgun 12 gauge with magnum shells, but that's it :o
altough I don't think that will make me less man :D
and than again, I got all the time in the world, I'm only 19 :eek:

I'm considering to buy a .44 magnum raging bull, but ammo is a bit on the pricy side :uhoh:

FLM

January 10, 2003, 08:09 AM

Perfect:

What are the gun laws like in Belgium?

ThePerfectOne

January 10, 2003, 11:11 AM

FLM: here's a copy of what I've sent to cslinger, one of your fellow americans who was also interested in our gun laws:

I suppose in the States you can buy as many handguns as you can afford. well, in Belgium you are limited to 10! you also can't carry guns outside your house or the shooting range. you can't shoot hollow points, you can't buy shotguns (pump-action), full-auto, ... but you DO can own high capacity magazines

so in my Glock 17 3rd gen, the only magazines I have for it are the 17 round ones. I was even planing to buy a 33-round mag for my Glock, but why would I want to fire 33 rounds in one time, without reloading?

you can own military firearms, so 9 x 19, .45ACP, 7.62 x 51 NATO, 5.56 NATO (.223 remington), no problem at all.

when you want to buy a firearm, you have to start a procedure that can take up to 4 weeks or even longer for semi-auto rifles (like the AR-15). for my Glock, I got my 9mm license in 5 days, but I (actually my dad) have some connections with the police, so ...

but there is still one country I know of, where it is even worse: Holland (aka The Netherlands). if a burglar breaks into your house, armed with a gun, there is nothing you can do about it, because you simply aren't allowed to carry a gun, even inside your own house!

FLM

January 10, 2003, 02:30 PM

Well, you've got better laws than Holland and England anyway. Actually your laws are better than some places here like D. C. Thanks for the info.

agtman

January 10, 2003, 08:55 PM

"you assume that only sissies shoot 9mm para +p and hot .357 magnum."

Nope, even the little girlies shoot 9mm and .357 mag over here. ;) "Sissies" are stuck with .380 and lower. Hey, it's the law. :D

By the way, wasn't Belgium annexed by France after the last go-around in Europe? Maybe not. The wine would be cheaper, but it would suck having the French as landlords. :what:

Speaking of Europe, you probably heard - unless CNN doesn't reach Belgium - that NATO military leaders were considering adopting the American .40S&W cartridge to replace the ubiquitous 9mm as NATO's "official" pistol caliber. But because some NATO members would pull out before ever agreeing to an American caliber designation stamped on NATO ordinance, NATO also said that the .40S&W, if adopted, would be renamed the "10mmNATO," in keeping with proper metric usage.

I see that as good news. At least that way a .40S&W shooter will be able to look himself in the mirror and say, with a straight face, "I shoot a 10mm." :neener:

:cool:

ThePerfectOne

January 11, 2003, 08:39 AM

agtman, Belgium annexed by France :confused:
that ain't going to happen, most of the Belgians hate those ignorant french pigs, just like most of your Americans do :D
and besides, whe are a small, but rich country, we are placed Nr 5 in the list of best countries to live in.
we have 10 million inhabitants, and last year, we defeated the reigning world-champion France in their own "stade de france" in soccer: 1 - 2! you should have seen the faces of those 50.000 ignorant french pigs, being defeated by those tiny little Belgians :neener:
there's no reason why we would be annexed by the french, we're superiour to the french :evil:

.40 replacing 9mm :confused: maybe over 5 decades, but not now, that's for sure! .40 may be a tad better, but our army (and most other european armies) uses 9mm +p, and they are almost similar to .40 in stopping power. there's absolutely no need to replace it. why replace something when it's perfectly good?

Dr.Rob

January 12, 2003, 05:38 PM

What part about Keep it Civil are you missing?

Pappy John

January 13, 2003, 09:53 AM

Back to the original topic....its 17 degs. this morning, and you know what that means...the range won't be MUDDY today!!! Lets go!!!!

cslinger

January 13, 2003, 11:39 AM

Sorry it took me a while to respond but Sheslinger really wanted me to post this picture.

The picture really doesn't do that day justice. It was cold, windy and rainy. Towards the end of the day it was sleeting and icing.

It was a great shooting day though.

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